Barney Frank (D-MA) to Hold Massachusetts 4th District Town Hall Meeting – Dartmouth, August 18, 2009 – Rumors of Frank’s Retirement Race Through MA

Barney Frank to discuss Health Care Reform, 8-19, Dartmouth, MA - image: blog - sltrib.com

Addendum: Contrary to Anonymous Comment posters This meeting is confirmed and Open to the Public.

Barney Frank (D-MA) will hold a “Town Hall” meeting on Health Care Reform, in Dartmouth, MA on August 18th. The meeting has been moved to the Dartmouth Council on Aging, 628 Dartmouth Street, Dartmouth, taking place from 6:30 to 9:30 pm. Frank, who is a proponent of the Obama Administration’s Health Care Reform program, will be available to take questions from his constituents; it is expected to be a very well attended meeting.

Frank, who has yet to confirm his intent to run for a another term in the 4th district, is rumored to be retiring in order to concentrate on a run at the Senate. The seat in question is Kennedy’s, who will be up for re-election in 2012, and, with Kennedy Legacy a larger part of the DNC, it is more than likely that a Kennedy will attempt to run for the seat, which would push Frank into retirement. The rumors are based on a new book that is due to release in October, an over-the-top glowing review of Frank’s political career, being published by UMass University Press. A quick read of the advance copy gives one the impression that this is more “Fiction” than fact - and one can make a fairly safe prediction that this Title will not make the New York Times Best Seller List. A Massachusetts political insider suggests that Frank will use this book as a springboard for his campaign for the soon to be vacant Kennedy Senate Seat. The speculation may have come from a Boston Globe article in 2004, where Frank spoke about positioning for a Senate Seat – Kerry’s. Had Kerry won the Presidency, then Frank had intended to run for the Senate.

That said, 8 years later, the same may not apply, and Frank may not have the political clout to go up against a brand as solid as “Kennedy”, specifically when Democrats in Massachusetts refer to Frank as the “DNC’s Sarah Palin”.

Frank faces opposition in the 4th in 2010 from several candidates: Earl Sholley Republican candidate, Keith Messina (No Party Designation) and Herb Robinson, Democrat (no website). Of (those candidates who have filed with the FEC – Sholley, a populist, Conservative Republican, leads in contributions – source: FEC filing as of June 30, 2009). Should Frank indeed be retiring, it will be interesting to see who comes out of the woodwork to file before the June, 2010 Deadline (Major Party candidates). The major party and independent candidates will face a primary in September, with the general election in November, 2010.

It will, therefore, be interesting to see how Barney Frank, best known for his relationship with Freddie and Fannie, mortgages, on-line gambling, and the like, will handle this particular Town Hall meeting. One the one hand, if Frank is positioning himself for a Senate Run, (somewhat unlikely and unconfirmed), he may cut back the rhetoric and try to appear more moderate in order to attract the majority of voters in the state who are designated as unenrolled), if he intends to run, once again, for his Congressional Seat or if he indeed intends to retire, expect vintage Frank. In either event, this meeting should prove to be both enlightening and entertaining.

Barney Frank will be up for re-election in 2010 – a Public Service Message

Addendum:



Sean Beilat (R-MA) Former Democrat Set to Savage Barney Frank (D-MA) in November General


Sean Bielat pulled off a rather large GOP primary victory last night, and has set his sites on one of Massachusetts more interesting and reviled politician, Congressman Barney Frank. Frank, who won the Democrat Party Primary, besting political newcomer Rachael Brown, will now, for the first time in decades (this is a resounding them in regards to Massachusetts Congressional Races) face one Sean Bielat – The man who will retire Barney Frank this November 2010.

Understanding the aforementioned reads like a tired political slogan, one must understand that the reality of the district, (high unemployment key), and the quality of the opposition candidate (One Mr. Shawn Bielat), makes the slogan more of a reality based statement. From an early age, Mr. Bielat was invested in a family of military background, and politically the family leaned Democrat. The key here is that they were a family of New York Democrats, or what is otherwise known in Massachusetts as Republicans. In addition, Mr. Bielat is already familiar with Congress, as he was a page for, you guessed it, Democrats. Mr. Bielat has a stellar business record, an education to match which makes this bright young, active duty Marine, the perfect match for the current curmudgeon who holds sway over the district and the nation’s finances.

Admittedly, at first, when hearing Mr. Bielat switched to the Republican Party in 2007, the reaction from this blog was one of pure anger and frustration. Both emotions driven by a political motivation to remove Barney Frank from office, no matter how small a contribution one may make towards that endeavor, and here, Mr. Bielat had the most perfect background in order to do achieve that goal, only he neglected to use it to his best advantage, in this humble opinion. Had Mr. Bielat announced his former affiliation and his desire to be a change agent, by not only leaving the Democrat Party, but in addition running against one of the most powerful Democrats in Congress (which, needless to say – is not particularly well liked by conservatives, or those who lean conservative) – he would have been miles ahead of Frank in his quest, pre-primary.

That said, never say never and apparently too little too late does not apply. That is not to say it will be a “walk in the park” for Mr. Bielat, but it will be easier for Mr. Bielat to take back the 4th Congressional District seat for the people, than any other district race in the Commonwealth. To learn more about Sean Bielat, and specifically to donate, donate, donate go to: Sean Bielat.org. Send a message to the Beltway (and the media) – the 4th District is far from “Safe Democrat”.

Polls: Mr. Bielat is within 10 points of Barney Frank as of September 14, 2010. Visit www.seanbielat.org and donate, volunteer, donate


Addendum: Barney Frank will be challenged by Earl Sholley, who announced his candidacy today. (Article Here) Sholley is a fiscal conservative, and although one might think that the district (and all of Massachusetts for that matter) is primarily Democrat - it is not. The majority of registered voters are "Unenrolled", and Sholley did run in 2008, but entered the race late - the result was that Mr. Sholley received all of the Republican votes (approximately 12%), he also received votes from either unenrolleds or Democrats who were disenfranchised from Mr. Frank for supporting Obama over Clinton, which amounted to approximately 30% of the districts votes. 2010 will be different for several reasons - Mr. Sholley has already filed with the FEC, he has a campaign manager with grassroots experience (Huckabee Campaign), and the primary reason that most Republicans do not win in the Bay State is simply branding - or name recognition. Polling in past elections (in Massachusetts) proved that the challenger's numbers went up with name recognition, (see Jeff Beatty's Senate Run Against John Kerry) - the approval rating was equal to the number of individuals who "knew of" the candidate. This particular race is, of course, of import to the 4th District of Massachusetts, but more importantly, of import to the nation, given Mr. Frank's position and his ties to the nation's finances (among other issues). To those interested in learning more about Earl Sholley, visit his website sholleyforcongress.us or info@sholleyforcongress.us

As there have been almost as many search request for “When is Barney Frank Up for Reelection” as the search for Tax Penalties for Health Insurance)on this blog, the following information is being provided as a public service: Barney Frank (D-MA) 4th District will be up for re-election in 2010. The 4th district includes Bristol County (New Bedford and Fall River), Middlesex County (Newton), Norfolk County (Foxboro), and Plymouth County (Halifax, Lakeville, Marion, Mattapoisett, Middleborough, Rochester, Wareham).

Should one be interested in finding an alternative to Mr. Frank, there is, to date, one (Republican) candidate that has announced an intention to run: Earl Henry Sholley(Website).
According to South Coast Today Mr. Frank’s paper of choice, he has quadrupled the amount of donations to his election since 2002, the majority of the funds coming from
the financial services sector, instead of individual donations from the district itself.

To find out who else may be running against Mr. Frank in 2010, contact the State GOP here.
Other State Political Party that might run a candidate against Barney Frank:
the Libertarian Party of Massachusetts There is a list of minor Party’s with contacts here at the Massachusetts Secretary of State’s website. Should you want to keep an eye on Mr. Frank, ACORN’s offices in Massachusetts are listed here.
Just a note: That Acorn office was “broken into” in October of 2008, computers were stolen. Mr. Frank handily won re-election. Granted this is merely a coincidence. "Republican Operatives" were blammed for the break-in - seriously.